Tag: betsie larkin

Last week when I wrote up the Duke Dumont, Arches, and Second City tracks, I received really varied responses varying from absolute love to sheer boredom with cliched sampled tracks. It seems that the most successful of the NuHouse tracks will be the ones that use elements of classic ’90s house and updates with a modern sensibility. It seems that Gabriel and Dresden got that memo and expanded on the journey they started with “Play it Back.” Their new release “Rise Up” is a progressive house track which sounds completely modern with elements of ’90s synth-pop and a bassline reminiscent of classic New Order. Listening closely, you can dissect these parts, but it’s just as easy to enjoy the track for what it is – a happy, uplifting track which changes moods and energy throughout its development. Seemingly the only thing missing is a vocal, so here’s hoping they bring “Back” Betsie Larkin or get vocalists Sean Ryan or Neil Ormandy to sing a topline. I must say that it is also quite refreshing to hear something that sounds completely different and stands out from the multitude of current electronic releases.

Utterly speechless was my first reaction when I heard “Play it Back.” Simply because it doesn’t sound at all like what you would expect from a Gabriel & Dresden track. Yes, it’s cool, credible, and underground but it’s also… how do I say this correctly without mixing labels, Hi-NRG for 2012. Yes, “Play It Back” is a girl-twirl that you might expect from Almighty or Alias, but done with a progressive twist. The kick drum loop in the intro is the first clue that this is going to be something different- but when the instrumental loops start coming in with the swoops, it’s clear that we are headed into major key “hands in the air” territory. Disparate parts like computer bleeps and electro glitches contrast with swooshes and vocoded male background vocals for what is probably the only current record that could get played at the most credible underground clubs in Ibiza as well as G-A-Y and XXL in London. The last time one of the credible producers pulled this off was when Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne were making all those wonderful Grace records in the ’90s. Since Trance 2.0 was the big buzz term at ADE this year, maybe we could look to G&D bring “back” a new flavor of NRG 2.0 by blending classic energy with modern electro. I am definitely anxious to hear what they come up with next.